Talk:Black Hand/@comment-79.101.202.89-20140615080608/@comment-46.113.124.132-20140703185321
Except that Tolkien shows enough ,,evil" Gondorians and Rohirrim (Grima Wormtongue for example, and Denethor isn't neither good nor bad but really morally grey character, Rohirrim at one point hunted for Woses of Druadan forest like beasts which does not say anything good about them, they have their petty enmity with Dunledings, rohirrim lord Freca was major troublemaker but king Helm Hammerhand wasn't exactly nice guy either) in his works, we know of many renegades of Gondor, political dissidents, rebels against kings who often were fleeing to Umbar to strengthen this realm (and their descendants are Corsairs of Umbar who are also of mixed descent, mingling with Haradrim, pure blood Black Numenoreans are rather rare at the end of Third Age) also despite accusation of critics there is much of this ,,grey morality" (though frankly in my opinion it's a moral relativety of our times that cause the vilest acts of evil be ,,justified" and it shows that fewer and fewer people believe in ideals, cynism is highly visible, every culture has some ethics so why we should call having principles as weakness and those able to commit atrocities as misunderstood cause nothing is purely good or evil hah?!). Tolkien writes in Lotr in words of Elrond of Rivendell ,,nothing is evil in the beginning even Sauron was not so", he started out with good intentions of bringing order to Arda and went a road as all tyrants go in his arrogance he thought he knows better, Gollum was inches close to redemption and he was a character who should be pitied and not condemned, he was an insane murderer (he had a bad fame as a child eater) and yet he had remnants of good in him (those split personalities as Samwise called ,,evil" Stinker and slightly better Slinker or Smeagol as his proper name is) and yet despite this dualism his case isn't simple as his personality is complicated. Tolkien gives even orcs some good qualities and even mentions in text that deep in hearts orcs hate their masters who cause their misery, yet they are so corrupted that they do evil things for fun, Gandalf expresses in those words ,,I pity even his slaves" which is not to say about Denethor who hates Sauron's servants and would never showe them mercy, he has only contempt towards them, is more of a cunning politician, ruthless when he needs it, he deeply loves Gondor he is strong and effective ruler but he is overly proud and very harsh man. Also in Tolkien stories it is a constant theme that Men are always bored with goodness and fell to various evil ways, the fall of man show how even good ones can do pretty bad decisions. Numenoreans were gifted with greatest knowledge and powers, blessed by the Powers of the World the most elf-like of men with great physical stature, great strength of body and endurance, powers of mind (enough to properly use palantiri which is a hard thing), also they quickly became cruel imperialists greedy for wealth, abusing resources, enslaving other men and treating them with superiority, basically becoming racists (like pure blood supremacist from faction of Castamir the Usurper who was a cruel man, member of royal family of Gondor, slayer of his kin and yet his rule was beneficial for the coastlands as he expanded the fleets of Gondor), even purely good characters have flaws, even Frodo, ultimately he fell in his mission, he was prejudiced against men viewing them in stereothypes (and he gets called on on that by Gandalf ,,you don't know much about men in Shire") you think that hobbits are purely good creatures well think again they can be mean, petty, prejudiced, xenophobic, greedy and even then not all who show those traits can be labelled strictly ,,evil". Aragorn says that evil and good are categories that are known to all races and it should be judged in each of us how to discern them, also you should notice that main characters have their weaknesses they struggle with, pride, fears but the actions are what's matters, they heros do what they do because it's the right thing to do. Is Gandalf strictly good? He is also manipulative, cunning politician who always has his own plans, he is quick to anger, he has his little weaknesses, often harsh, in other words he has quite a temper :) and his wisdom at time gives notion as if he was elevated above others, aloof though he often reflects and comes down to earth. Elves oooh boy you say they are pure goodness and sunshine well tell that to Feanor and his dysfunctional family, or Eol the Dark Elf or his son Maeglin, or Thingol or Thranduil, Celeborn the Wise even, elves can be as foolish, shauvinistic and petty as Men and when they screw up they do so big time, it was elves fault that the Rings of Power survived, they desired power or as Tolkien put it they wanted to have their cake and eat it, their desire for knowledge was used against them by Sauron, they wanted to use the Ring to remain privilaged caste in Middle Earth enjoying bliss of Undying Lands while remaining in lands of Middle Earth slowing down change which meant going against natural order of things, they were unwilling to accept change which caused them to dabble in things they shouldn't have. Noldor/High Elves were also quie rebellious against authority and especially towards DIVINE BEINGS, what arrogance and bravado and foolishness, Galadriel her character goes through major development, she started out as rash elven princess who wanted to rule her own realm and when we see her he becomes much wiser, Isildur though opposing Sauron he was enthralled by the Ring too, he deemed in his arrogance to be able to control it (but he found out to his shame that he had not he strength) he did not listen to wise council of Elrond and Cirdan, claiming the Ring as weregild, he was in his youth rash and arrogant, Sauron was ,,not indeed wholly evil, not unless all reformers who wants to hurry up with reconstruction and reorganization are wholly evil even before pride and the lust to exert their will eat them up", but as it is power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as for orcs Tolkien wrote that calling them irredeemable would be going too far for as they were accepted into the world there is potential for goodness in them, they are also within the law so in war they when captured should not be tortured or killed with cruelty and if any orc ever asked for mercy he should be granted it, though of course in the horror of war such things might happen, for example war of dwarves and orcs was said to be ruthless and it's goal? Petty revenge, both sides were pitiless and there were cruel deeds both committed by dwarves and orcs, the memory of battle in Azanulbizar still makes ,,orcs to shudder and dwarves to weep".